Emily Wise Miller is a freelance writer and editor currently living in Florence, Italy. She is the author of The Food Lover’s Guide to Florence, a wonderful resource for anyone who is interested in exploring the culinary culture of Florence and Tuscany. Emily’s guide will also help you to find a few out of the way trattorie and ristoranti in this tastefully rich region of Italy. The book is full of Emily’s passion for food, and her experience will guide you to some of the best Florence has to offer.

She has written on the subjects of food, culture, and travel for the Berkeley Guides, a student-oriented offshoot of Fodor’s travel guides, Salon.com, the Times of London, and the San Francisco Chronicle. She also has worked as a cookbook editor.

Emily and I both participate on a writers listserv and when she announced the release of the latest edition of The Food Lover’s Guide to Florence, I couldn’t pass up the chance to ask for an interview. We sat down at our computers, one in San Francisco, the other in Florence, and had a chat.

kimba: The first question we always ask here at artist-at-large.com is where in the world, and why, have you traveled?

emily: When I was a teenager I came to Italy with my family for a vacation, and it made a huge impact on me. Then when I was in college, I studied Italian so I could go to Venice for my junior year abroad. Since then I have this relationship with Italy – I keep ending up here. While living here, I’ve taken advantage of cheap flights to get to most of the European countries. The most recent trips were to Paris and Istanbul.

kimba: Do you like to cook as much as you like to write about food?

emily: Yes, my food writing grew out of my plain old love for food. I love to eat good food, and that inevitably leads to cooking. I am not a world-class cook, but I am a decent home cook. I studied cooking a little informally, here in Florence at the Cordon Bleu, but mainly I’ve learned just from trying different things at home and challenging myself in the kitchen. For the past several years I also worked as a cookbook editor, so I also learned a lot that way.

kimba: Many people don’t know that there are many variations on a theme in Italian regional cooking, all different from the heavily sauced Italian food that we grew up with as kids here in the States. Is there any one flavor or style of cooking that defines a Tuscan dish?

emily: The style of cooking here in Tuscany is marked by simplicity. Tuscans are suspicious of anything fancy and complicated. The signature dishes here are rustic and pure: soups made of bread, beans and cabbage, for example, or simple grilled meats.

kimba: Florentines seem to be really into food and wine in a much more connected way than other cultures, well, maybe on par with the French, it’s almost an art form …

emily: I think Florentines are passionate about their traditional foods and flavors, and they are fighting to hold onto them in a changing world. The region has an incredible history of agriculture, which gave rise to these great wines, olive oil, produce, and artisanal meats and cheeses. They are even proud of their saltless bread, which is an acquired taste for most of us.

kimba: Is Florentine cooking different even from the regional cooking of Tuscany?

emily: Only in the sense that if you go to the next town over, they have their own specialties! All of Tuscan cooking has features in common, but if you go to the coast you find seafood stews and cecina, a fried bread made from chickpea flour. If you go one hour south you find pici, big thick strands of spaghetti, and more game, like wild boar and hare. Here in town, you will always find ribollita a bean and cabbage soup, pappa al pomodoro a bread and tomato soup, and bistecca alla fiorentina which is a very rare grilled t-bone steak.

kimba: What is your favorite Tuscan dish to order when eating out in a restaurant?

emily: I love the classic antipasto toscano, which is a combination of crostini topped with chopped chicken liver and mixed salumi (prosciutto and other cured meats).

kimba: Do you have a favorite Tuscan dish that you like to make for your family and friends in your own kitchen?

emily: I love to make pasta e fagioli, a thick bean and pasta soup. It is the ultimate comfort food.

kimba: You’ve met a lot of chefs in Florence, is there any one thing that describes their outlook on food and life? Anything that stands out?

emily: Cynicism mixed with a sense of humor and an amazing work ethic? That might describe all chefs.

kimba: Where do you like to take friends and family when they vist Florence?

emily: I really love the historic eateries in the city center where you can get a snack, a sandwich, a coffee, etc. That is what I focus on in my Food Crawl.

kimba: What is the one thing that should not be missed by someone visiting Florence?

emily: Everyone should visit the Uffizzi Gallery and then head straight to a trattoria for a nice bistecca and a bottle of Chianti.

kimba: What do you love most about living in Florence?

emily: The coffee. Also, riding my bike through the center when it’s nearly empty.

kimba: What’s your favorite flavor of gelato?

emily: Probably gianduja – it is a mix of chocolate and hazelnut. Delicious!

For more information on Emily’s culinary walking tours of Florence, visit Context:Florence.

More than a million English-speaking visitors descend on Florence annually, but few venture beyond the usual circuit of tourist restaurants to experience authentic Tuscan cuisine. This updated guide to the best gourmet restaurants and off-the-beaten-path locales offers in-depth profiles of the spots Florentines themselves treasure. Arranged by neighborhood for easy navigation, The Food Lover’s Guide to Florence is the single essential companion for travelers, students, and expats. – book description